Fathers and brothers

Six months ago, almost to the day, Miles Wright, youngest of four brothers, died after a long battle with cancer. I knew him relatively slightly, despite us being almost exact university and school contemporaries. My time at Ampleforth also overlapped with that of older Wrights, David and Martin, now Fr. Ralph and Abbot Timothy. Finally, the eldest brother, Peter (Fr. Stephen) has always been a very good friend of all the Davis family.

The three surviving brothers celebrated Mass in memory of Miles yesterday, at the little church of SS Gregory and Augustine, Oxford. I was privileged to be one of only a couple of handfuls of friends and family invited along, and to lunch afterwards. It was good to catch up with the brethren.

Each gave the assembly a short spiel about what has made him tick in life: Stephen - just off to spend eight weeks with Ampleforth's daughter community in Zimbabwe - has for a long time involved himself closely in the charismatic movement. Ralph many years ago moved from Ampleforth to join its now long independent foundation in St Louis, Missouri: he is a much published poet and veteran pro life campaigner. And Timothy, just approaching the end of seven years in Rome, teaching at the Beda, has become an authority on Christian-Muslim relations, and shortly takes up a teaching post in a North American university.

Third Wright: forthright, his verdict on Rome given with a question: "What sort of Church is it that requires a newly appointed Cardinal to spend €5000 in order to get properly togged up?" Ecumenism? "The Ordinariate: a complete waste of time!"  Other religions? "Yes Muslims and Christians can pray together, but not with Hindus and Buddhists."

"Happy Time!"

This is the title of a book designed for pupils learning English in French primary schools. One of its editors, Pascale Spitz from Paris, is staying with us this fortnight, for one-to-one English tuition by Caroline. In between lessons, I have been trading the rules of cricket for new-to-me words and phrases such as le lait du coin; les locavores; les bobos; moi, ma vie, mon oeuvre, and n'importe quoi.

As the photograph indicates, cookery comes as part of the package. The cake was to honour another visitor, Leo's Godmother, also a teacher (in an inner-city school). And yet another teacher, now resident in Zimbabwe, came for lunch yesterday. So, over a sunny weekend there was plenty of time in the garden to reflect upon the hot topic of education as both a cause and remedy for our present troubles, not to mention the long-term problems facing us all on account of the suffering of African peoples.

Cheltenham Christian Ecology Link

We had a good meeting at home last week, on Tuesday 6th, in a format rather different from the usual. There were 10 present, including a visitor from Zimbabwe, who led our concluding prayers. He described the steep inflation in Zimbabwe until recently, when the Zimbabwe dollar was replaced by the American dollar as the official currency. There is 90% unemployment. AIDS is rampant. Neither press nor radio is free internally. Farm invasions continue, and the new owners are far from being good stewards of their land. Tobacco production is one-third of what it was. There is little crop rotation. Cattle herds are almost all wiped out. Woodlands are cut away to provide fuel, and game reserves poached. Telephone lines are stolen for their copper content. In the cities, shanty towns are bulldozed. Foreign aid sent through the official channels is often sidelined.

On the other hand, there was much to be positive about. Many people in England raise funds, which are channelled through individuals in Zimbabwe, and used, for instance, to pay for schooling at primary, secondary and tertiary levels and in particular the relatively expensive exam fees, as well as other essentials. In the schools, the children are keen to learn. Committees made up of local women are often best fitted to know those in real need.

The country has gold, platinum and diamond reserves. And power-sharing has brought some improvements. Western democracy may be a long way off, but there is a strong sense of relationship, of family. The country's economy is kept afloat to a great extent by the generosity of its 3m overseas workers, who send hard currency home to their families. Many of these families include children whose parents have died of AIDS, and are being brought up by uncles, aunts and grandparents.

The country's Catholic bishops have spoken out: "God hears the cry of the oppressed!" was the title of a controversial pastoral letter a few years ago. "We are all guilty: we need reconciliation," is the theme of their latest, "God can heal the wounds of the afflicted," issued only on 1st October.

Although there is evidence that the cold season has lengthened over the years, there are as yet no great signs of climate change, as in Kenya. Greening the planet is not a live issue in Zimbabwe. Our visitor quoted the current Oxfam advertising: “People in developing countries aren’t thinking about how climate change will affect them. They already know.”

And although there was little tradition of thrift, there was a culture of sharing. Coming back to England for the first time for a couple of years, he was amazed by the range of goods available on supermarket shelves. "All we have is gift," he said: "Are we programmed to accept as gift, or are we programmed to accumulate possessions, and to go on doing so?"

It was, as I say, not like a normal Christian Ecology Link meeting; but it brought home to me the fundamental reason I belong to CEL: as a response to the need for the planet's resources to be cared for and shared out more fairly.

Scandalous past

A highlight of my extremely brief stage career was playing Lady Teazle in Sheridan's School for Scandal on the stage of Ampleforth's theatre. Opposite me, playing Sir Peter was Edmund ffield, a couple of years older than me. That was in the Summer of 1957.

Edmund joined the Monastery at Ampleforth after leaving the school, and became Fr. Richard ffield OSB. For many years a teacher and Housemaster in the school, he has since 2003 been part of the community at the Monastery of Christ the Word, established by Ampleforth in Zimbabwe.

He is at present back for some well-earned holiday, and was saying mass this evening at St Gregory's Church here in Cheltenham: here is a photograph of our reunion.

The boys in pink

Today is Gaudete Sunday. The Introit at Mass goes: Rejoice in the Lord always, and again I say, rejoice; let your forbearance be known to all, for the Lord is near at hand; have no anxiety about anything, but in all things, by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be known to God.

If you take Advent seriously, then Gaudete is a welcome and necessary break from voluntary austerity, as is Laetare Sunday in Lent. Our church didn't possess rose-coloured vestments - until now. But are they necessary for two Sundays a year?

I ask this, as we learnt today that a set has been donated (presumably by a parishioner). Anyway, the assistant priest and one of the deacons paraded in for mass this evening, each togged up in fetching pink. Distracted, I kept wondering what the tailoring bill had come to, and how much might instead have been sent to those looking after the cholera victims in Zimbabwe, the subject of our intercessions.

Teazles

Sir Peter and Lady Teazle, characters in Sheridan's 1777 play The School for Scandal, are supposed to be modelled on the then Duke of Devonshire and his wife Georgiana - who ran up huge gambling debts using her husband's credit. This and the Duchess's sad and brilliant life generally is all graphically described by Amanda Foreman in her excellent biography "Georgiana". Now it's been made into a film (The Duchess) starring Keira Knightley and Ralph Fiennes, currently on in Cheltenham.

In May 1957, The School for Scandal was the - perhaps slightly surprising - choice of play made by Fr. Kevin Mason and Fr. Leonard Jackson (both monks of Ampleforth) for that school's Exhibition weekend entertainment. Sir Peter was played by Edmund ffield, from Cheltenham: he is currently a member of the community of the Monastery of Christ the Word in Zimbabwe, having morphed into Fr. Richard ffield OSB. And I was Lady Teazle - the summit of my acting career.

We haven't ever planted teazles in our garden, but two specimens - taller than me - have just arrived this year: rather majestic.